Thanksgiving in the Spring!

Recently, we invited the girls and their boyfriends over for a turkey dinner.  I made several different sides and a cheesecake for dessert.  As I was serving the meal, Carly started looking for the traditonal Thanksgiving fare:  mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce... "Just because we're having turkey doesn't mean we're having a THIRD Thanksgiving!" I told her.  "And by the way, there's NO pumpkin pie!" 

You're probably wondering what I mean by "Third Thanksgiving."  Every year, we have Thanksgiving dinner at my dad's place with the whole Valentino clan.  And although it's a a great, delicious, (and loud) time, we always felt a little disappointment in not being able to cook the meal ourselves, and enjoy the leftovers the next day.  So years ago, we began a tradition called "Second Thanksgiving."  It occurs the Sunday after the real Thanksgiving and is something we all look forward to just as much as the traditional holidays.

When the joke was made about a third Thanksgiving, it occured to me that I didn't have to wait until next November to enjoy all those delicious flavors.  And that's when the Thanksgiving Salad was born.  I started with some mixed greens, then cut up some rotisserie turkey from the deli.  Sweet potatoes were roasted with olive oil, sea salt and pepper and sprinkled with goat cheese when they came out of the oven.  Ok, so goat cheese has nothing to do with Thanksgiving, but I'm in love with it, and it takes good on everything.  The cheese starts melting on the hot sweet potatoes and it is just so...  ok, I'm salavating now.

One of my favorite things to make is salad dressing.  I'm obsessed, and I haven't bought any bottled dressing in years.  It's fun to create different flavors and I like being able to control the levels of salt and sweetener that go in.  For this one, I started with pommegranate vinegar because my dad always puts out a few pommegranates after dinner and the kids all share them.  I had some squash seed oil from F. Oliver's so that seemed like a good choice.  Salt, pepper, and some minced fresh sage, and I had a flavorful dressing that meshed well with the turkey and sweet potato.  For toppings, I chose whole toasted pecans, to represent the nut cracking parties we have at dad's (which is what I am usually doing when the kids are digging into the pommegranates), and some dried cranberries to represent the cranberry sauce.  The only important dish not reprented thus far would be the stuffing, so it seemed reasonable to throw some whole wheat croutons on top.

And that, my friends is Thanksgiving salad.  Here is a rough recipe from what I remember, although I didn't write anything down.  I am increasingly cooking without recipes and just using my instincts.  The problem arises when someone askins me to replicate something and I have to rack my brain to remember!  I guess I should start leaving a note pad on the island when I'm cooking!

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Salad

Sliced rotisserie turkey, or leftover roasted turkey

Mixed salad greens

1 sweet potato, sliced into spears

Olive oil, sea salt, pepper

4 oz. goat cheese

croutons, dried cranberries (as desired)

1/2 cup whole pecans, toasted in a frying pan.  (Then try to avoid eating all of them before the salad is ready.  Very difficult for me!)

For dressing:

1/3 c. pommegranate vinegar

Sea salt, pepper to taste

1- 1/2 tsp. finely chopped fresh sage

1/2 c. squash seed oil (or nut oil, or Canola)

Toss sweet potatoes in about 1/4 c. oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Roast in a 350 degree oven until fork tender.  Remove pan from oven, sprinkle sweet potatoes with goat cheese and let stand.

Meanwhile, make the dressing:  Whisk vinegar with salt, pepper and sage in a bowl.  Slowly whisk in oil until emulsified.  Taste dressing and add more vinegar or more oil according to your taste.

Top greens with turkey, sweet potatoes and cheese, and pour desired amount of dressing over it.

Top with croutons, pecans, and dried cranberries.  Eat it.  It's really good!




 

Hazelnut Asian Pear Granola Bars

I'm obsessed with making granola bars.  It all started with a mini temper tantrum I had when the Kashi granola bars I had bought were gone after only two days.  And Connor doesn't even eat them, so they were polished off by only two of us.  Tim and I both like to have something quick at work between meals, and Kashi brand seemed to be the healthiest choice when it came to granola bars.  At $3.99 for a box of six, it was getting ridiculously expensive. 

And so I turned to one of my favorite healthy recipe resources, Whole Grain Gourmet.  I found a recipe for coconut almond granola bars and did my usual subsitutions and the result was something pretty delicious.  It filled a 13x9 inch pan, so as you can imagine they bars lasted much longer than the Kashi bars did.  A bonus was that Connor loved them too, so I didn't have to buy as many of his school snacks that week as I usually did.

When you are buying the ingredients for this recipe, you will probably be swearing at me in your head because they are relatively expensive.  However, I have made this recipe three times and have not had to purchase any of the ingredients again, with the exception of other dried fruits and nuts so I could make them different each time.  The initial investment is definitely worth it in the long run.  If you are a healthy cook/baker like I am, chances are you already have some of these ingredients on hand.

What's really cool about this recipe is that you can substitute any dried fruit and nuts that you like.  The first time, I used almond and apricots just as the recipe calls for, but substitued half of them for dates.  The second time I used dried blueberries and pecans.  And this morning, I tried hazelnuts and dried Asian pears, which I didn't even know existed until I bumped into them at Wegmans yesterday in the dried fruit section.  The bars are somewhere between chewy and crispy and keep really well.  And the best thing is that you know exactly what is in them- which means no preservatives or artificial anything!  We really love the sesame seed in them, but you could certainly substitute another kind of seed.  I think I may try dark chocolate chip granola bars next time!

Enjoy the recipe, and if you try an interesting variation, let me know about it!

Hazelnut Asian Pear Granola Bars (based on a recipe from Whole Grain Gourmet.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup 7-grain cereal (Bob's Red Mill)
• 1/2 cup oat bran  (I used wheat bran)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped hazelnuts
• 1/4 cup roasted sesame seeds
• 2/3 cup organic raw honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp virgin coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup dried Asian pears, diced fine
• 1/2 cup shredded dried coconut (unsweetened)

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lighly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with 1/2 tsp coconut oil.
3. Place oats, 7-grain cereal, wheat bran, hazelnuts, and shredded dried coconut on a large rimmed cookie sheet. Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes, stir up the mixture several times for even roasting. Mixture should take on a nice medium golden-brown tone. Do not allow it to burn(This actually only took about 10 minutes in my oven).
4. During the last 7 minutes that the oat cereal mixture is roasting, combine the honey, 3 Tbsp coconut oil, vanilla, and salt in a large saucepan. Place over a medium-low heat for about 7 minutes. The honey should be hot enough to flow freely and combine with the oil.
5. When you remove the cereal from the oven, reduce the heat to 300 degrees.
6. Add the cereal mixture and sesame seeds to the honey and stir to combine. Add the minced apricots and mix well  (If you buy sesame seeds that are not already roasted, you can roast them with the cereal mixture above).
7. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Using a flat spatula, firmly press the mixture into the dish, ensuring an even distribution and level surface.
8. Bake for 25 minutes at 300 degrees. When you remove the dish from the oven, slice the baked cereal into the size and number of bars you would like. Be careful to not crumble the bars as you slice. If necessary lightly press down with your spatula on any bars that need reshaping after the cut. The bars will be soft and crumbly while they are hot. Allow them to cool completely before attempting to remove from pan.

Blueberry Cheesecake

Ever since my daughter Carly posted this picture of my blueberry cheesecake on facebook, I have been inundated with requests for the recipe. Or at least for a slice of it. But that sucker was gone the very next day, so you'll all have to be satisfied with the recipe! This was another instance when I left Carly completely unsettled by telling her that the dessert she was proclaiming to be "one of the best things I've ever tasted" was actually made with healthy ingredients. No matter how many times I prove it to her, she just doesn't want to admit that healthy desserts can be delicious. So after stammering a bit she says, "Now all I can think about is how much BETTER it would be be with sugar and full fat cream cheese!" Ok, Carly.

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I didn't actually invent this one from scratch. I started with my recipe for agave vanilla bean cheesecake that I posted on my blog in April, 2011. With just a few changes- omitting the vanilla bean, adding lemon, and inventing a new topping, I ended up with an improved version of the original. It has a light crust made with almond flour that Carly called "unassuming." She meant it as a compliment compared with cakes or pies with a heavy, sugary crust that distracts the palate from the flavors of the actual dessert. The topping turned out surprisingly well considering that I had no idea what I was doing. I just knew that I was not satisfied with the thick, floury strawberry topping I had made with the original cheesecake last year. For the blueberry topping, I found a jar of organic all-fruit preserves that I melted on the stove and miixed with fresh blueberries. I just needed a little agave nectar to sweeten it up and it was perfect.

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Looking forward to making this one again. Although I may have to make two as I have promised a slice to several people who didn't get to try it the first time!

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Blueberry Agave Cheesecake

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1 1/2 cups almond flour 2 Tablespoons melted butter 1 Tablespoon agave nectar Crust: Mix above ingredients together in a bowl and press into the bottom of a springform pan. Bake at 375 degrees until set and crust is a light brown. Set aside. Raise temperature of oven to 400 degrees. 3 (8 oz.)pkg. reduced fat cream cheese at room temperature (I used 2 pkg low-fat, and 1 pkg full fat) 3 eggs (preferably organic), at room temperature 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract Grated rind of one lemon 1 cup agave nectar 1/4 cup sour cream. Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, scraping bowl often. Open vanilla beans with a knife and scrape the insides into the bowl. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth, scraping bowl. Pour batter onto crust. Place in a water bath in the center of oven, then immediately turn the temperature down to 200 degrees. Bake an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes, until temperature in center reaches 155 degrees. Cool completely. Blueberry Topping: Heat 2/3 cup of all fruit preserves on stove over low heat until liquified. (I used Crofter's organic wild blueberry spread). Whisk in 1-2 Tablespoons of agave nectar to taste. Toss with 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries while still warm. Spread over cooled cheesecake. Refrigerate.

Mouth-Watering Dark Chocolate Truffles

I'm back! Having taken a few months off from blogging during my musical season, I've definitely been making and creating some recipes worthy of sharing. Unfortunately I don't always write the particulars down right away and then I am left with the task of remembering exact amounts of ingredients. Luckily, these truffles are super simple to remember and equally simple to make if you are willing to deal with messy hands. I find that many of my favorite recipes are made with the fewest ingredients, and these truffles are no exception. As you know by now, I have a passion for creating healthier versions of recipes and the great thing about these truffles is that they taste decadent even though they are made with evaporated skim milk instead of heavy cream. You will never know the difference. And fun part is that you can make them different every time by varying the liqueur that you use and the ingredients that you roll them in. I used black raspberry liqueur and rolled them in large flake natural coconut, chopped pecans, and Dutch cocoa so we would have three different varieties. The coconut ones were my favorite, but I am anxious to try different combinations of flavors next time. A great little "healthy" treat, as long as you are capable of stopping at one or two!

Dark Chocolate Truffles
1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
1 bag Ghiradelli 60% cacao chocolate chips
1-2 tablespoons black raspberry liqueur (or other liqueur)
2 (3 1/2 oz) bars 70% cacao chocolate (I used Lindt Excellent- the BEST dark chocolate IMO)
Choice of toppings- chopped nuts, coconut, cocoa, brown rice cereal, etc.

Heat the evaportated milk until scalding but not boiling. Pour over chocolate chips in a glass bowl and let sit one minute. Whisk until melted. If chips are not melted, microwave ten seconds at a time, whisking until melted. Whisk in liqueur. Refrigerate until thickened, whisking occasionally. Roll into balls, coating hands with cocoa to prevent sticking.
Melt 70% chocolate in the top of a double boiler until smooth. Dip balls in melted chocolate, coating evenly. Roll in topping and set on parchment lined cookie sheet. Set in refrigerator. Truffles should be stored in the refrigerator until eaten or the centers will become too soft.

Chicken Tortellini Cream Soup: a Simple Post-holiday Meal

Well, the holidays are ending and the normal routines of work and home are just around the corner. Looking back on the last week or two, I think I hit a record high with regard to the post-holiday exhaustion. So in the last few days, I have been thinking about how I can make next Christmas just as special for my family without almost killing myself. Yeah well... we shall see how that goes next year.

In the meantime, I am detoxing from the holidays by keeping it simple, and that includes food. A great, simple meal I have now made twice is a chicken torellini soup that is put together with just a few prepared foods but tastes like it is completely from scratch. In actuality, it was a turkey tortellini soup the first time around, with leftover Thanksgiving turkey. But this recent version was made with rotisserie chicken from the grocery store which makes it easy to do any time of the year. I truly believe that some of the best recipes are made with the fewest ingredients, and this is no exception. Ingredient list: rotisserie chicken, olive oil, garlic, leeks, tortellini, chicken broth and cream. So easy and delicious! Wegmans (the best grocery store on the planet) sells a fresh whole wheat three cheese torellini that is to die for, but you can use any tortellini or mini ravioli in this recipe. You can also lighten this recipe up by using fat free half and half instead of the heavy cream, but the cream makes this soup so rich... to me, it's worth the extra fat.

You can whip this soup up quickly on a busy work night and it will seem like you have slaved for hours. And the best thing for the three of us, is that it makes plenty to have again the next day.

Chicken Tortellini Cream Soup
2 T olive oil
1 cup chopped leeks
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken stock
1 rotisserie chicken, meat cut into cubes
1 pkg. fresh tortellini (if using dried, pre-cook and add last)
1/2 to 2/3 cup heavy cream
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
parmesan or pecorino Romano cheese (topping)

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven and saute leeks and garlic until soft. Add chicken stock, chicken and tortellini and cook without boiling until totellini is al dente. Stir in desired amount of cream and heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Top each individual bowl with grated cheese.

The Feta Issue

I have had a recipe for Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta taped to my recipe book for the longest time. Every time I spot it as my fingers flip through the pages of the food-stained gingham spiral notebook, my mouth starts to water. It's one of Food Network's Ellie Krieger's recipes, so I know it is certain to be healthy and delicious. So why had I not tried in in the four years it had graced the pages of my book? It's the feta.

Tim and I have very compatible tastes, but there are a few foods he doesn't really care for. Feta, that wonderful crumbly, "bitey" cheese is one of them. He finds it dry and tasteless. So there the recipe sat, until I came up with an idea to modify it. Why not change the feta to fresh mozzarella and have an Italian baked shrimp and tomatoes? We both fell in love with it. Delicious, quick and easy! I will definitely be making this again. The original recipe calls for fresh dill but I would recommend substituting basil in the Italian version. Both variations will be posted here. Since there is quite a bit of sauce, I would also recommend serving it over some type of grain. As you see in the picture above, I threw in some whole wheat Israeli couscous which was perfect.

And now my mouth is watering remembering the taste of it, not just the title of the recipe. I guess we'll have to have it again this week!

Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta (Ellie Krieger)
1 T olie oil
1 medium onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14.oz) cans no-salt diced tomatoes with their juices (I use San Marzano tomatoes and cut them up myself)
1/4 cup finely minced fresh flat leaf parsley
1 T finely minced fresh dill
1 1/4 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in oven proof skillet over med-high heat. Add the onion and cook stirring until softened about 3 min. Add garlic and cook 1 min. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med-low and let simmer for about 5 min. until the tomato juices thicken.
Remove from heat. Stir in parley, dill and shrimp and season with salt and peoper. Sprinkle feta over top. Bake until shrimp are cooked through and cheese melts about 12 minutes.

Italian Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes
Follow directions above substituting basil for the dill and fresh mozzarella cheese for the feta.

The Boy Likes Cookies

My son Connor, like most teenagers, would probably eat a lot of unhealthy foods if he were able. But as we remind him on a daily basis, until he is self-supporting, there are some decisions that are made for him, for instance the kinds of foods that are available to him at home. There is no junk food in the house except on special occasions, and when he wants a snack there are healthy choices. At the same time, when he is outside of the home, at a friend's house, at a restaurant, etc. he is free to eat whatever he chooses. That's when he gets the occasional soda, french fries, and well... junk. To tell him he can never have these foods is in my opinion, unrealistic, and I feel comfortable with the fact that since his regular diet is healthy, junk food every once in a while is not going to kill him.

All of this does not mean there are no treats around. If you have been following this blog, you know that I've developed a passion for making delicious healthier desserts. And Connor has loved every minute of it because he has become my tester. Recently, he tested my dark chocolate almond cookies, and as you can see by his goofy grin above, he loved them. In fact, I had to hide a few for myself because he and his father were eating them fast and furiously.

To invent this recipe, I started with my honey roasted peanut cookie recipe (from a previous blog post) and made some substitutions. The original recipe is listed here and the substitutions follow. The almond cookie recipe calls for almond flour, but if you can't get it, just get blanched almonds and grind them up very finely in a food processor. And if you prefer another nut, just substitute. Delicious treats for my (mostly) healthy kid!

Healthy Honey Roasted Peanut Cookies
½ cup peanut oil
½ cup natural peanut butter
½ cup honey
½ cup natural brown sugar (Turbinado)
1 egg
1 1/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
¾ tsp. baking soda
½ cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts plus more for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat peanut oil, ½ cup peanut butter, honey, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in egg. On a piece of parchment or wax paper, wisk flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Mix dry ingredients into the honey mixture in thirds. Stir in ½ cup peanuts. Drop by tablespoons onto parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until cookies lightly brown.

Honey Peanut Butter Frosting- Wisk 2/3 cup natural peanut butter with ½ cup honey until smooth. Add hot water a tablespoon at a time if necessary until frosting is spreadable. Spread each cookie with frosting and top with peanuts.

Makes 25-30 cookies

Almond Agave Dark Chocolate Cookies
Follow the recipe above with the following substitutions:
• Use almond butter in place of peanut butter
• Use agave nectar in place of honey
• Use coconut crystals in place of brown sugar (if desired)
• Add ½ tsp. almond extract with the egg
• Add 1/3 cup almond flour with dry ingredients on parchment
• Use sliced almonds in place of peanuts
• Add 1 cup 60% cocao chocolate chips with almonds
• Omit frosting